Selling used guns on the agenda for San Mateo County sheriff

Earlier this year, San Mateo County collected almost 700 guns through a publicized buyback program and permanently removed the weapons from circulation by melting them down into pipe metal.

"Fewer guns also means fewer accidents and fewer chances for guns to fall into the wrong hands," U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier said in a written statement before the January event that she co-sponsored with Sheriff Greg Munks and Supervisor Adrienne Tissier.

Today, however, Munks is scheduled to ask the Board of Supervisors for permission to change a county law so his department can sell more than 700 surplus weapons, some of which could end up in public hands.

About 400 of the guns are "old-duty" firearms that are no longer needed, according to a memo from the sheriff. And 355 are pistols currently used by the department's sworn personnel that will be replaced with new Smith & Wesson guns in the coming months.

The sheriff's office proposes to sell the used firearms by first offering them to sworn personnel within the department. The remainder would be sold to Smith & Wesson.

Both transactions would be made through licensed firearms dealers and sold at "fair market value," according to Munks' memo.

The weapons could fetch between $130,000 and $150,000, according to the sheriff; the new guns are expected to cost about $150,000.

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Capt. John Quinlan, who has worked for the sheriff's office 27 years, said a county ordinance does not allow law enforcement to "sell, trade, give or otherwise transfer any firearm owned or possessed by the County of San Mateo." It was adopted following a 2001 high school shooting in the San Diego County city of Santee that left two students dead and 13 wounded.

"There was a major concern about firearm safety and firearms getting into the hands of the wrong people," Quinlan said. "We (the sheriff's office) didn't oppose that because we were concerned too."

Expecting that some people would take issue if the gun sale prohibition is lifted, Quinlan said he contacted public safety representatives in several major cities, including Los Angeles or New York, to learn whether there was any evidence that the firearms they sold were later used in crimes. There wasn't, he said.

Quinlan said the county's guns are worn from use, mostly through required target practice, and probably would have more value as a sentimental keepsake to the sheriff's personnel than as a gun buyer's weapon.

"It's my assumption ... the manufacturer will take these, they cannibalize these guns, and use the parts to assemble other guns." Quinlan said. "I don't see a huge resale value on these."

In an email sent to The Daily News on Monday, Board of Supervisors Vice President Dave Pine said he is concerned that selling the sheriff's guns would increase the number of firearms in circulation, "which is inherently dangerous.

"In particular, selling used firearms to firearms manufacturers would likely result in the subsequent resale of those firearms at discounted prices and thereby promote broader gun ownership," Pine said.

"The Sheriff's Office gun buy-back program collected 680 guns earlier this year," he added. "I would not want to erase those gains by adopting the proposed ordinance and selling hundreds of guns to firearm manufacturers."

When contacted by The Daily News on Monday afternoon, Supervisor Carole Groom said she had not yet read Munks' memo for Tuesday's meeting.

"I'd prefer to read the report before I comment," Groom said.

Other supervisors did not respond to a request for comment.

The Board of Supervisors meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Board Chambers at 400 County Government Center, Redwood City.